Many persons have non-functioning or malfunctioning sphincters which because of congenital malformations, trauma to the sphincter nerves or muscles, or disease of the sphincter nerves or muscles to make it impossible for them to control the discharge of body waste.
One of the most troublesome and embarrassing conditions is the malfunctioning of the urethral sphincter. The urethral sphincter retains urine in the bladder until the sphincter is relaxed which permits the urine to be discharged. As a result of the malfunctioning of the urethral sphincter, uncontrolled drainage of urine from the body can occur. Obviously, this can be embarrassing to the individual and can restrict his activities.
Attempts have been made in the past to provide an artificial sphincter which can serve as a substitute for a malfunctioning urethral sphincter or provide means for controlling artificial openings that have no natural sphincters.
In my earlier copending patent application Ser. No. 292,051, I disclosed and described an improved artificial sphincter for reversibly closing body passages. The artificial sphincter of my earlier application although superior to those employed in the past did not include any means of preventing the incontinence which can result from an increase in urine pressure as the result of a cough, sneeze or the like.